Wicked Games
by Oil Pastel
Summary: When hatred is taken one step too far it becomes an obsession; the reason for living. What happens when two enemies see each other in a different light, but can’t set their differences aside? Rated M for later chapters. HGDM
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! ****This is a fic I've just decided to start because I'm so in love with the Draco and Hermione love/hate idea. Warning to you alllll, this is rated M for later chapters, just giving you a heads-up! Soooo this is the first chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you think- thank you **

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. Not even Draco's fine ass :[**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter One**

She sighed, pushing a stray strand of unruly hair out of her deep brown eyes as she frowned at the blank piece of parchment that lay on the mahogany desk before her. Dipping her quill into the black ink inches away from her, she lowered her head and began scribbling complex Arithmancy notes, stopping only occasionally to scan over her work ensuring that there were no mistakes. Another curl fell into her eyes which she tugged at unconsciously with her left hand whilst she read through her notes once again. After what she assumed was one hour of this, she eventually raised her gaze to look at the antique clock illuminated by candle light.

Eleven thirty pm. She had been working without a break for over two hours.

Muttering to herself, the girl began to pack away her scattered school books into a canvas bag casting one sweeping glance across the empty library before she exited the room. She would have to be careful returning to her dorm in case she got caught wandering the corridors after curfew. As Head Girl she had to set a good example; otherwise she had no right to be reprimanding anybody who broke the rules.

Her black flat shoes made no sound on the stone floor as she walked hurriedly to the head dormitories, a small breeze making her black cloak flutter silently around cold, bare her legs. The girl turned a corner, smiling as she saw the portrait of a magnificent white unicorn tossing its head back and pacing around its frame. She was about to speak her password to get into the room when she caught sight of something moving out of the corner of her eye.

Spinning around, she grabbed for her wand in her cloak pocket and gripped it tightly as she surveyed her surroundings. She was sure she glimpsed something move towards the end of the empty corridor on her left. Frowning, she took slow steps in the direction of the disturbance with her now lit wand held out in front of her. She saw nothing unusual, and figured it was probably her mind playing tricks on her because she was tired. Shaking her head, she whispered "_nox_" to extinguish the light and turned back around to face the painting. Only to find that it was empty.

"Great, that's all I need!" she hissed and narrowed her eyes at where the unicorn had been just moments before. She rubbed her face and closed her eyes, sighing tiredly, resigned to the fact that she was not going to get a decent night's sleep that night.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw something move once more in the direction she just came from. Aggravated with herself for her mind playing tricks on her, she strode confidently to double check that nothing was there and to reassure herself that she was being silly. Without even lighting her wand, she rounded a corner and collided with something solid, causing her to stumble backwards and cry out in alarm. Before she could fall over she grabbed onto a window ledge and snatched for her wand once more.

"Get out of my way, Granger."

The words were spat out with malice and the startled girl looked up only to see a pair of cold, grey eyes narrowed down at her. She stood up straight, her head held high.

"Malfoy, what are you doing wandering the halls at this time of night? Get back to your room before I deduct points from Slytherin faster than you can say 'greased ferret'."

Hermione glared at the tall boy stood in front of her, his blonde hair falling down into his eyes that shone contempt. A sneer crept across his handsome features and he crossed his arms and leaned against the cold wall confidently.

"I don't think you can do that, seeing as you're breaking the exact same rule as I am. I always thought you were a goody two-shoes," as he was saying this he walked slowly towards her until she began to back away for fear of being too close to him. "And besides, you can't take points off the Head Boy Granger. I have just as much power as you."

"I'm warning you Malfoy. Go away, I'm not in the mood for your games tonight," Hermione almost flinched as she heard the slight uneasiness in her voice.

Malfoy smirked and looked down at her, knowing he was getting under her skin. He noted how ragged her appearance looked; her hair was tied up into a messy bun, her eyes had bags underneath them, no doubt from staying up every night to swot up on all her work. He then glanced at her crinkled uniform; a grey skirt and a blouse, of which he noted the top two buttons were left open. He flicked his gaze upwards quickly enough so that she didn't notice he had just looked at what she was wearing. He was well practiced when it came to checking out girls; he knew how to be subtle.

"Don't worry; I have much better things to do with my time than stand around talking to worthless mudbloods. Now if you don't mind I have a pressing engagement with a naughty young witch that I'm not willing to miss," he made sure he brushed past her when he walked away, knowing this would irk her even more.

"Ten points from Slytherin for wandering the corridors at night, and five for being a complete arse!" Hermione shouted after him, still clenching her wand in her hand. She heard him laugh coldly and he waved his hand as if to dismiss her, not even bothering to turn around.

She shook her head and made her way back to the portrait where both to her relief and annoyance, she saw the unicorn looking innocently at her flicking his mane.

"Red ribbon," she muttered before slamming into the head's common room.

Harry raised his eyebrow at his friend and he coughed loudly, trying to snap her out of the daydream she was obviously in. When he got no response from her, he looked over to his red haired friend and was met with the same look of bafflement that he had.

"Hermione?" Ron said, waving his hands in front of her face.

This seemed to do the trick and she sat up slightly and began to play with her breakfast, not looking up from her plate.

"What's wrong? You've been quiet all morning, it's not like you," Harry smiled slightly at his own quip and was rewarded with a scathing look from Hermione. She sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing, I just had a bad night's sleep that's all. I was up late studying and-"

"Studying again?" Ron cut her off and scoffed. He should have known. "That's all you've been doing the past month, work, work, work! You need to relax a little you know!"

Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement- his friend had been overworking herself. Hermione scowled at Ron and Harry before continuing. "As I was saying, before you rudely interrupted me, _Ron_, I was going to bed and then ferret boy comes in with a new tart and they were up making a racket until three in the morning! Well, that was when I put a silencing charm around his room."

Both Harry and Ron scrunched up their noses is disgust and felt a pang of pity for Hermione. It wasn't her fault she had to share a common room with Malfoy after all; she'd never done anything to disturb him. Harry suddenly remembered all the grief Malfoy had been giving Hermione and he switched places to across the table so he could put his arm around his friend comfortingly.

"On behalf of the entire male species, I'm sorry," Harry said before dropping his arm from his half hug to greet Ginny who had just walked into the Great Hall. She dropped down in the seat opposite to Harry next to her brother, and leaned across the table to give him a quick kiss. Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione who just giggled and continued to eat her breakfast.

"Honestly you two, get a room!" Ron said thickly through a mouthful of toast. Ginny slapped him lightly on the side of his head before turning to talk to Hermione.

"Gosh Hermione you look really tired! Don't tell me that git has been giving you trouble again! Honestly one of these days I'll… well, I'll curse him to say the least," Ginny shook her head angrily. Both the boys' eyebrows shot up in surprise as she managed to guess what was wrong with Hermione instantly.

Hermione smiled weakly. "Thanks Gin, but don't waste your energy of that ignorant slime ball, he's not worth it. Yeah, he brought another one of his silly little followers back to his room last night. I swear if I hear one more girl shout '_Ooooh__Malfoy_' I'm going to-"

"Jealous, are we? Watch out Weasel, you've got competition," a voice cut her off before she could finish her threat and her eyes widened. Hermione turned around in her seat in time to see Malfoy stroll past casually towards the Slytherin's table. She clenched her jaw together and balled her hands into fists.

"The day I get jealous of any unfortunate girl that you bring back into your room is the will be the day that hell freezes over!"

Malfoy shot a glare over his shoulder. "Careful, Granger," he warned before taking a seat between Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione glowered at him and turned back to stabbing at her uneaten, and now rather abused looking breakfast before slamming down her knife and fork. "He's such a cretin!" she exclaimed, getting nods of agreement from half the Gryffindor table. Ginny patted her hand sympathetically.

"Ignore him, he's always been a worthless moron. Just think, it's Friday today; you've got a whole weekend to yourself so you can relax. You've been working really hard recently, you deserve a well earned break," the red haired girl said. "What lessons do you have today?"

Hermione smiled at her friend gratefully before sighing. "Double potions with the Slytherins. But then I have the rest of the day free."

Ginny winced slightly, thinking she wouldn't want to be in her friend's situation. Hermione had worked hard to achieve her position as Head Girl, and all Malfoy had to do was flash his daddy's money around and he could have whatever he wanted at Hogwarts. Although she once found out that according to McGonagall, it was Dumbledore's wish for both Draco and Hermione to be Head Boy and Girl together, a thought which puzzled her to this day. She couldn't see why two people that were polar opposites could ever get along well enough to work together effectively in the school. She saw Hermione get up to leave the table and frowned.

"I'm just going to get a few things ready before I go to lesson," Hermione answered Ginny's puzzled look with a small smile. "I hope you're free tonight, I've got an unopened box of chocolate frogs and I won't be able to eat them all by myself!"

Ginny nodded brightly before bidding her friend goodbye. She knew a girl's night in was the best thing for Hermione to have at the moment. Besides, they needed to catch up on a lot of things, she'd barely had the chance to talk to Hermione since returning to Hogwarts and there were a few secrets she needed to tell her. Smiling to herself she looked over to Harry who was talking to Seamus sitting by him. He sensed someone was looking and turned his head to smile at Ginny, grabbing hold of her hand across the table.

Ron looked at his watch before gulping loudly. "Blimey! It's five to nine we'd better get a move on before Slughorn makes a show of us being late!"

Harry nodded and gave his girlfriend another kiss before following Ron briskly out of the hall.

Draco let his eyes wander around the dark potions room, tapping his quill idly on the desk. Merlin, he was bored. The work that had been set was almost too easy for him; he needed a challenge to keep his mind from digressing. He let his gaze settle on Granger sitting in front of him, her head lowered over her work, no doubt deep in concentration. He watched the way her curls fell down past her shoulders, and noticed her flicking them back occasionally to keep her hair out of her eyes. Through her blouse he could see the back of her white bra, and before he could stop himself he smirked, raising an eyebrow. Malfoy noted the curve of her hips as the blouse met the black skirt she was wearing and he shook his head slightly before his thoughts wandered any further. He felt somebody to sitting to his left nudge him and he looked at them out the corner of his eye. Blaise slid a small piece of folded up parchment across the table towards him, and Malfoy took it, not hiding his lack of interest.

"_Eyeing up the enemy, ey? Draco you sick minded person! How did it go with the girl last night?"_

Draco clenched his jaw and back wrote back in neat handwriting, _"I was not eyeing up the enemy… I was merely passing judgment. The Ravenclaw didn't get much sleep."_

On reading the note Blaise sniggered and shook his head in disbelief at his friend's mischievous ways. He looked at Hermione with a curious expression, wondering what his friend had been thinking. He then took out a different small piece of parchment to write another note to Draco.

"_Do you think the mudblood's ever been bedded?"_

Draco shot Blaise a disgusted look before replying. The truth was he had just been thinking the same thing. He saw the way her pathetic Weasel friend looked over at her all the time with longing, and it repulsed him. There was no doubt something was going on between the two, and he didn't know why, but he was slightly curious. Draco put it down to wanting new material to make their two lives hell.

"_I doubt it. She's so uptight she probably creaks when she walks."_

This time Blaise didn't conceal his snort of laughter, and Professor Slughorn looked over at the second row of tables from the back where the two boys were sitting.

"Mr Malfoy and Mr Zabini, I do hope you're not messing around. This is a very important essay you know, need I remind you that it counts towards ten percent of your final grade!" he wagged a chubby finger at the two, shaking his head.

Draco feigned indifference and nodded, whilst Blaise muttered an apology. Hermione looked over her shoulder at the two with a gleeful smile before continuing with her work, causing Draco's blood to boil with hatred. How he loathed her, how he wished he could curse her into oblivion so he wouldn't have to see that smug face ever again. He'd had to put up with her every day in their dorms; however he was getting good at avoiding her. He knew she liked to work in the library at night, and she knew when he would be in their common room, so she tended to go straight into her room if he was in there.

Draco saw his friend writing something to him again. Rolling his eyes at his friend's stupidity for not learning his lesson, he took the note.

"_I'm interested to see if you, the 'Slytherin Sex God', could bed her."_

Malfoy's face was passive, but when he read those words his insides twisted and he felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach which he put down to disgust. He knew who Blaise was talking about.

"_As flattered as I am that you call me that, I will have to tell you that you are the biggest idiot I've ever come across. I hope you don't mean Granger."_

Dreading the reply he was about to receive, Malfoy busied himself with continuing his essay. He felt another nudge and without looking up he held out his hand for the note.

"_I dare you to."_

Draco was never one to rise to the bait, but his imbecile of a friend was beginning to aggravate him. He didn't dignify the remark with an answer, choosing instead to continue with writing the essay. What a sickening thought, him with the _mudblood_? What had the world come to? He was a Malfoy, and Malfoys are above muggle-borns with dirty blood. On that thought he didn't let himself think about the idea again. That was until yet another piece of parchment was placed under his nose. Getting dangerously aggravated, he opened the note as passively as possible so Blaise thought it wasn't getting to him.

"_She's not too bad, you know. I think she'd have a hot body… come on you must have thought about it, you two are practically living together! Does it not get to you?"_

Draco replied, "_No."_ and continued working.

"_I know you, surely you must have thought about shagging her!__ You're bored, why don't you set yourself a little challenge? What's the worst that could happen?"_

Draco raised his eyebrow curiously at the thought and he could see that his friend was smiling. He was getting bored of how easy girls were dropping their knickers for him. It was almost tiresome, in fact. Maybe a good 'challenge', as Blaise put it, was just what he needed. But this was Granger they were talking about, the thought of touching her made his skin crawl.

"_I'm not as desperate as you, Zabini."_

Just as he wrote the last word in the note to Blaise, Slughorn rose to his feet and signalled the end of the lesson. The sounds of chairs scraping the stone floor filled the small room, but even above this Malfoy heard a quill drop to the floor and he watched Granger bend down to pick it up, tilting his head slightly to get a better look.

Maybe he was going the wrong way about torturing the little mudblood. He was sure there was a much more exciting way for the both of them to cause her pain and humiliation. A smirk passed his attractive features as an idea hit him. Perhaps this year wasn't going to be too bad after all.

**Dirty, dirty boy! **

**Sorry if there were any mistakes in there, I did proof read it a couple of times but nobody's perfect! **

**Soo what did you think? Please leave a review :  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okaaaay it's time for another chapter! Thanks to IceBitchFSF and Winniethapoo92 for reviewing but to all those who didn't… well…. This face says all:**

**Hahaha j/k! But seriously this fic got like, 150 hits and only two reviews. I was like o shocked and slightly hurt /3 so I made this chappie with extra TLC. Ish. Well, not really…**

**Enough of me rambling on…I own none of the characters :[**

**Enjoy!**

Hermione sighed blissfully with a novel in her hand in the deserted head's common room. She lay back on the comfortable sofa, one of her hands playing with her hair stopping only occasionally to turn over the page. This was the life. There was nothing better than relaxing with a good book and enjoying the silence. The room was round with high stone walls decorated with portraits of different historical events, and a large stone fireplace warmed the chilly room with a dancing flame. There were three high arched windows each overlooking the lake, quidditch pitch and the forbidden forest. Sometimes at night Hermione would sneak out of her bedroom to look at the breathtaking view. If the conditions were right, night time looked like a charcoal painting; the pearl white moon shining on the black rippling surface of the lake, whilst the forest provided an ominous black backdrop.

She had decided to relax after her double potions lesson that morning, and as she knew that Malfoy had a full day on Fridays, she decided it would be safe to get changed into her jeans and t-shirt and lounge around for a couple of hours until Ginny was free. Yawning, she put her book down on the floor next to her and stretched, her eyes closing as she thought about the day's events. Suddenly, Malfoy being reprimanded popped into her head and a small smile played on her lips while she laughed quietly to herself. Slowly, drowsiness that she couldn't control took hold of her and she fell asleep with a trace of a smile still on her pretty face.

He was not in the mood for any messing around. Grinding his teeth, he scowled at people walking past him as he marched through the corridors heading towards his room. The day had been a foul one, not only had he been made a fool of in front of the mudblood during potions because of Zabini's prattish behaviour, but he had just been set the mother of all Transfiguration essays by McGonagall.

Malfoy continued to glower at anybody who dared get in his way and he bit out the password to the unicorn, which in turn opened the portrait door for him. The door banged shut behind him and he walked over towards his room on the left hand side of the common room when something caught his eye. On the sofa facing the fireplace, lay Hermione, one arm dangling towards the floor and the other above her head. Her face was turned towards him with her lips parted slightly, her chest rising and falling slowly.

Without realising what he was doing, Draco turned away from his bedroom and walked slowly towards where she lay. He noticed a book by where her arm was and sniggered to himself at how the situation had 'Granger' stamped all over it. His eyes trailed down from her lips to the exposed, soft looking skin on her neck. They stayed there for a while before he followed the neck line of her t-shirt dip down towards the swell of her breasts where he could see a hint of her cleavage. His mind seemed to go blank, and he didn't snap out of it until he saw her frown at something in her sleep. He toyed with the idea of what she could be dreaming about, but gave up on his and turned to walk back to his room when she began to mumble incoherently.

"I told you…" Hermione spoke and Draco turned his head, expecting to see her sit up with her arms folded, glaring at him. Instead, she was still fast asleep, her lips moving slightly. Malfoy smirked and carried on walking.

"Don't… no… don't stop," he heard her moan.

At this he froze in his tracks and turned around with his eyebrow raised and a curious expression on his face. A plan was formulating in his mind of he could tease her endlessly about her moaning in her sleep. Yes, he could picture it now, her face turning scarlet as he mimicked her moans. He decided to stay where he was in case he missed anything interesting that he could add to the humiliation of his co-head. He wasn't disappointed.

"Dr…dra…" Malfoy's heartbeat increased and he moved towards the sleeping girl. "Draco…" she moaned through her well formed lips.

The hair stood on the back of his neck and he swallowed hard, enjoying the effects of her groaning his name. He'd had plenty of girls moan his name in ecstasy before, but somehow, this sounded different to him… almost as if she was painfully aroused. His mind suddenly raced with images that could be going through Hermione's head and before he could stop himself, he was beginning to think of all the things he could do to her in real life that would give her even more pleasure than she was feeling right now. His eyes darkened and raked over her body, taking in every curve.

A loud knock on the door snapped him out of his train of thought and he straightened his posture almost regally. His cloak billowed behind him as he made his way to the door to stop the incessant knocking, and on opening it, a small red headed girl fell through nearly knocking into him. He sneered down at the Weasley that had just fallen into his common room, unknown anger rising in him slightly.

"What do you want?" he bit out whilst she straightened out her clothes.

"Don't flatter yourself prat boy, I'm here for Hermione. She was meant to meet me over an hour ago and I was worried you'd done something else to upset her."

Draco jerked his head towards the direction of the sofa. "She's asleep. Perfectly safe and sound don't worry, you intervened the curse I was going to place on her just in time," he said sarcastically before turning around leaving the door open for her to come in. "Oh by the way, when she wakes up _do_ tell her that she sounded like she was having a good time…" he trailed off and walked into his room, locking the door behind him.

Ginny frowned, not knowing what he meant by this and went to wake Hermione. Her friend opened her eyes groggily and sat up, looking around with a puzzled expression.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked, rubbing her eyes and swinging her legs around to sit up. She yawned and blinked a few times before the fog left her mind and clarity set in. Her face dropped. "Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry I was meant to meet you wasn't I? Oh no I've even missed dinner! I'm so sorry Gin, I just fell asleep and-"

"It's okay you've had a hard week! That's what I'm here for…now did you mention something about chocolate frogs this morning?" Ginny smiled reassuringly and sat next to Hermione. The bushy haired girl nodded before jumping up to retrieve them.

She returned with her arms full of sweets and bottles of butterbeer. Ginny was taken by surprise at her friend's mind track and laughed, helping her carry some things.

"I really don't want to stay in here this evening; can we go round to the Gryffindor common room and talk there?" Hermione asked hopefully. Ginny glanced at the door to Malfoy's room, nodded and motioned for them to both leave.

They shared a silence for a while until they neared the portrait of the Fat Lady. Ginny stopped and looked at Hermione.

"You know, Malfoy said something a bit strange to me before," Ginny stated, and to her surprise, Hermione blushed and looked down uncomfortably at the floor. Ginny's eyes widened. "What happened?" she asked, not wanting to discuss the matter in front of the other Gryffindors.

Hermione shifted her gaze up towards the Fat Lady, who was pretending not to be listening in to their conversation by looking at her nails.

"Nothing, why?" she replied, thinking back to the dream she was having about him earlier. She stopped herself from sighing blissfully just in time, but saw that Ginny was giving her a sceptical look. Hermione arranged her face to what she hoped looked like an innocent expression, but she'd always been a terrible liar. The fiery haired girl narrowed her jade eyes suspiciously.

"Oh, it's just that he told me to pass on a message to you… something about sounding like you were having good time…" Ginny was pleased with the reaction she got, as Hermione's face dropped and went crimson, her mouth hanging open.

"Wh-when did you see him? He wasn't in the head's dorms…" Hermione's voice trailed off, confused slightly at what was happening.

"He was actually; he went into his room before you woke up. That's when he passed on the message. You need a password to get in remember," Ginny reminded, astonished at how flustered her friend would have to be not to realise that. "What's going on? Did you have a boy in your room? Is that why you're tired? You rascal!" she laughed and practically jumped up and down on the spot. "You dirty girl!"

Hermione shook her head quickly. Of course, how could she have been that stupid? She'd been so distracted at the fact she'd overslept that she didn't question how Ginny had gotten into the common rooms, in fact she it had slipped her mind completely! Draco must have seen her sleeping on the couch and… oh no. she must have been talking in her sleep _again_! When she shared her dormitory with the Gryffindors, Lavender would always tell her she sleep talked. That's why she eventually cast charms around her bed to avoid any embarrassment the next day.

"Gin, you've got the wrong end of the stick-"

"Who was it? Was it Ron? I bet you it was Ron!"

"The Head Girl taking boys into her room? How disgraceful!" the Fat Lady chirped in, grinning. She had giving up on pretending not to eavesdrop and was now taking part in the conversation.

Hermione glared at Ginny and the portrait. "No, I haven't. The stupid slime ball's probably trying to cause trouble for a good laugh at my expense!"

Ginny sighed and Hermione couldn't help but notice she looked a bit disappointed. The younger girl spoke the password and they both clambered into the Gryffindor common room only to be greeted by Harry and Ron.

"Hermione! What are you doing here, this isn't the library!" Ron said, grinning and running a hand through his unruly hair. Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically.

"Very funny, but unfortunately as this is a girls' only night you're going to have to bugger off. I'm sure Ginny will back me up on this one, won't you Gin? Ginny? Gi-"

She turned around to see Harry and Ginny kissing passionately, bottles of butterbeer tipping dangerously out of Ginny's arm.

"Ginny!" Hermione hissed, elbowing her with difficulty as her arms were full of sweets.

Ginny parted from Harry looking slightly flushed and grinning sheepishly. "What? Oh yes, girls only I'm afraid Ron, hard luck." She turned back around to continue kissing Harry until she felt a sharp pain on her shin.

"Ouch, Hermione! There was no need to kick me I was just saying goodbye… okay Harry I have to go now,"

Harry nodded and pecked her on the lips one last time. "Bye. Speak to you later Hermione." He mouthed the words 'love you' to Ginny who mouthed them back while she was walking away up to her dormitory with Hermione. Ron pulled a face at Hermione in disgust at the couple's display of affection and she laughed quietly.

On entering the younger girl's dormitory, Hermione could help but smile nostalgically at the four poster beds decorated in the red and gold colours of Gryffindor. She missed being with her friends so much, it was lonely sharing a living space with an ignorant foul creature such as Malfoy. There she was, thinking about him again. Over the past couple of months he'd crept more and more into her thoughts, and Hermione was beginning to feel uncomfortable every time this happened. She must have looked sad at something because Ginny sat down her bed looking concerned and motioned for Hermione to sit next to her. The sweets lay in a pile between the two and Hermione tore into them, feeling hungry as she had missed her dinner.

"What's been up with you lately?" Ginny got straight to the point. That was one thing Hermione admired her for, her ability to be blunt when she needed to. "I'm getting a bit worried you know, non us of barely see you anymore. Ron keeps on pestering me about what's going on but I know about as much as he does."

Hermione sighed, taking a sip of the butterbeer she had just opened. The truth was she didn't quite know herself. She had been so busy with all the work she had been set, the Head Girl duties and catching up with sleep that she had scarcely had time to see her friends. Malfoy hadn't helped matters either, taunting her whenever they were on patrols together, sending her haughty looks if they ran into each other in their common room. Ginny sat patiently waiting for her friend to answer, handing her another butterbeer when she saw that Hermione had finished her first one already.

"Nothing and everything. But I don't want to talk about it, I want to talk about what normal people talk about… I don't quite know what that is but I don't want to be the Moaning Myrtle of the evening. It's Friday we should celebrate!" Hermione lifted her bottle up to chink it with Ginny's.

"So, have you got your eye on anyone?" Ginny said, folding her legs underneath her and opening a chocolate frog.

Hermione paused for a moment before answering. "No, I don't have the time to be thinking about that really."

Ginny's eyes widened excitedly. "That means yes! Come on, tell me who it is? You know there are no secrets between us!"

The other girl laughed, shaking her head. "I think I'll need a lot more of these before I tell you anything like that," she said jokingly, motioning to the bottle in her right hand.

"Now _that_ I can hep you with," Ginny sprung up and opened the drawer next to her bed. Before she showed Hermione what she was holding she turned her head to speak to her. "Now, don't overreact, I'm not normally like this but one of the Ravenclaws tried to ask me out once and before anything happened I found out what he was really up to and snatched this from him."

Ginny revealed an unopened bottle of Firewhiskey that was in her hands, and Hermione gasped, appalled at what her friend was suggesting.

"Ginny! You're underage! There's no way that we can drink that, do you know how much trouble we'll get if we're caught? I'm the Head Girl, imagine what would happen if a professor found us? Heavens! That stuff tastes awful anyway…"

Ginny merely rolled her eyes. "Don't be so stuffy! Come on, I want to see what it's like I've never tried it before."

Hermione looked unconvinced and Ginny knitted her eyebrows together, her eyes pleading.

"Please Hermione! Just this once, you said yourself you can't talk about what's bothering you, this will help. And besides it could be good fun. Nobody has to know, you can sneak back to your dorm when nobody's around, I'll get Harry's invisibility cloak if you'd like."

Hermione still looked unimpressed, but Ginny didn't let it faze her. Waving her wand she produced two drinking glasses and poured a hearty amount of the liquor into each one, charming the glasses so they frosted up to make the drink cool. Ginny then waved a concealment spell over the bottle in case anybody walked in, which was unlikely to happen. Her curly haired friend still had a sceptical expression.

"Come on! Join me," Ginny raised her glass, waiting to toast something with her friend who still hadn't picked hers up. After a few moments the red haired girl took it upon herself to force a glass into Hermione's hand and deliberately clinked the two glasses together.

"To having fun!" declared Ginny before taking a large gulp. She could feel the liquid burn her throat and retched, her eyes watering. Wincing, she looked over to Hermione who shockingly looked in a similar state for discomfort as Ginny, also holding an empty glass. Ginny spluttered.

"Good on you," she grinned, coughing slightly. "Another!"

She picked up the Firewhiskey and poured a larger measure of the amber liquid than before. Hermione looked horrified.

"Slow down, Gin! We've got the whole night for that," she protested weakly, knowing full well that once Ginny had an idea in her mind she would make damned sure it happened.

"Nonsense, have another my dear friend!" both girls looked slightly flushed, and upon seeing each other's faces they laughed loudly.

"Okay but this is the last one, for both of us," Hermione looked at Ginny sternly before breaking into a fit of giggles. "Okay? No more after this one."

Ginny nodded. "Okay, now shut up and drink up! One…two… three!"

Once again the girls pulled odd faces as they tried not to throw up at the burning sensation travelling down to their stomachs. Both of their eyes watering, they looked at each other impressed at the fact they'd held their own considering neither of them usually drank alcohol. Hermione took a swig of butterbeer to calm the fiery sensation in her stomach, and Ginny did the same.

"That'll do for tonight, Gin!" Hermione frowned slightly when she felt a swaying sensation as she moved her head. Something she'd been curious about suddenly bubbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "Have you slept with Harry yet?"

Ginny gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers. "Me? What do you take me for Hermione; we've only been together for a few months."

Hermione nodded understandingly and laughed at her unusually forward wording. "Yeah but you've… you know… done stuff, right?"

While she was asking this, Ginny was subtly pouring them both a small shot each, passing one to her friend who was leaning forward slightly, eagerly awaiting an answer. Without even realising what she was doing, Hermione drank her shot at the same time as Ginny and put the glass down on the comforter of the bed, not bothering to pick it up when it rolled clumsily onto its side.

"Well, yeah, we've done, you know…stuff but nothing serious. Just getting carried away in the moment…we both want to wait though," Ginny hiccupped slightly and nodded her head, looking over to Hermione as if wanting her approval of her and Harry's relationship. "That's not bad is it? Like, slutty?"

Hermione shook her head quickly, once again a feeling of wooziness clouding her. "No not at all! I respect you for wanting to wait, it's very important I think. Very important, yes. But what about with Seamus?"

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "The same, really. What about with you and Krum? Did anything interesting happen there?" Ginny was enjoying the feeling of bonding with her friend, it had been so long since they'd gossiped and shared secrets.

"No, he had the mental capacity of a dead ant. I couldn't stand to be with him for longer than an hour or so," Hermione took a deep breath to regulate her heart rate. "Am I strange, Ginny? I've never felt like I've wanted to be physically close to someone. That was until… well, never mind,"

Hermione saw Ginny grin and she could tell that she was about to be drilled on what she had just said. "Forget about that- let's have another shot!"

It was the only thing Hermione could think of that would distract her friend from asking her awkward questions. Her mind flew back to the vivid dream she had just had about Malfoy just hours earlier.

In it she had been in the shower washing her hair and singing quietly to herself, when she heard the soft click of the bathroom door opening and then being closed. Anger bubbled inside her as she knew it could have only been Malfoy, and she gripped the shower curtain and popped her head around it to conceal her nakedness. She yelled in surprise when she found that his face was merely inches away from hers. She looked into his stormy grey eyes and noticed how many different flecks of blue there were. She could feel his warm breath tickling her face and she cleared her throat nervously. She opened her mouth to speak only to feel his lips crash down onto hers, kissing her with strong urgency. She moaned slightly and he took the opportunity to bite her bottom lip before running his soft tongue along where he had just bitten as a silent request for her to let him in. Reality crashed down around her and her eyes flew open as she pulled back away from him, breathing heavily.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Ginny was peering at her friend curiously. Hermione was in a strange kind of daze, but on hearing Ginny her face cleared and she was back to looking normal.

"Yeah, of course I am," she smiled and couldn't help but laugh at Ginny's unfocused eyes. "I think that's enough drink for us!" she reached for the bottle but Ginny snatched it away.

"Come on, we've only had half the bottle! Let's have some later as well. Here, have another butterbeer…" she dished out another drink and before they knew it, they were both lying down and giggling, talking about everything that had happened to them over the past couple of months

Ginny's eyes were watering with laughter as she was trying to speak. Hermione caught glimpses of what she was saying through her breathlessness.

"And… he only… and he said sorry and I said… it's okay honestly! You barely touched me anyway," Ginny guffawed and Hermione couldn't help but join in. She looked over blurrily to the now empty bottle of firewhiskey and pouted.

"Gin, I think we have a slight prolem- problem. No more drink!" Hermione sat up as swayed slightly on the spot. "I have to go," she hiccupped. "Yes, go home now. I'm going to go home!"

She stood up uneasily, her body leaning slightly on the spot she was standing still on. "Why's the room moving? Gin did you charm it? Ginny?"

She looked down at her friend who was now fast asleep on the bed, her mouth hanging open with an empty glass in one hand and a bottle of butterbeer in the other. Hermione burped and tilted her head as if confused at her friend's state. Shrugging, she made her way over to the door in what she thought was a bee line, until her shoulder came into contact with a wall. Thinking it was a good way of pretending she could walk in a straight line, she used the wall for support and staggered down the round staircase. She made her way into the common room, praying that there was nobody insane enough to still be awake. To her relief she saw that it was deserted and she exhaled loudly, wiping her forehead dramatically for her own benefit.

Getting out of the portrait door proved to be difficult and as she stumbled out of it she cursed herself loudly for not taking Harry's invisibility cloak. Reassuring herself that if anybody bumped into her she could focus her eyes and speak coherently, she made her way to the other side of the school where her bedroom was. Practicing her 'sober face', which consisted of her raising her eyebrows and widening her eyes, she became more convinced that she could handle anybody that she came across. Hermione squeaked in surprise when she saw the portrait of the unicorn, thinking a walk that would normally have taken five minutes seemed to slip by in seconds!

She looked at the unicorn as soberly as she could by widening her eyes, and mumbled a string of words. The unicorn flicked his mane, and Hermione could have sworn that it looked at her sceptically.

"Don't look at me like… like that! Yes, that's right…you know very well who I am! Let me in I told you the bloody password already. It is reb riddon, you cannot deny the facts!" she slurred, and looked angry as once again the door refused to budge. Coughing loudly she spoke as clearly as she could. "Red ri-bbon."

The door swung open and she fell into the room, not feeling the bruising pain on her knees that she would have felt had she been sober. Snorting with laughter, she decided that it was probably easier to crawl over to the sofa anyway. Besides, this way was much more fun. Yes, she would sleep on the sofa tonight, lovely sofa. Lovely, close, convenient sofa. Clambering onto the piece furniture, she kicked off her shoes, each of which landed in different directions, and proceeded to unbutton her cloak which she dumped unceremoniously on the floor. Hiccupping again, she went to take her top off and almost pulled it over her head when she heard somebody coughing in front of her. Jumping at the sudden noise, she panicked and began to struggle in her t shirt, not being able to pull it completely off nor put it back on.

"Help!" she squeaked, genuine fear building up inside of her. However, before she could get any help she pulled the t shirt off her completely and sighed happily, throwing it by the crumpled cloak. She craned her head upward only to see Malfoy glaring down at her, fury seeping from his every pore.

"Granger, would you mind telling me what the hell's going on?"

The fear she'd felt just seconds before melted away and was replaced by anger. She noticed he was clad only in black boxer shorts, obviously ready to go to bed. His broad, well toned chest was pale in the moonlight and her eyes trailed down his muscular stomach to the top of his underwear, not daring to look any lower. When she realised what she was doing, she sprung to her feet and gave him her worst look.

"What's going on? I'm having fun that's what going on Malfoy. If you weren't such a complete bastard you'd understand that. You're such a… such a…-"

"Shut up Granger," hissed Malfoy, his eyes flashing dangerously. Realisation dawned on his face. "What the hell have you been drinking?"

He was trying not to look at her heaving chest, her flat, pale stomach, her curvy hips, so instead he stared into her brown unfocused eyes. She shrugged her small shoulders.

"What's it to you? You're just a worthless scumbag!"

Malfoy didn't reply, he simply watched as she absently reached down to unbutton her jeans. He grabbed her hands before she did so, pinning them to her sides so she couldn't undress any further.

"What are you doing? Get your hands off me right now! I'm warning you!" she growled. "Why are you such a horrible, stuck up moron, Malfoy? Why? I've never done anything to you, never! And in turn you're nasty to me and my friends. You repulse me, you physically _repulse_ me!"

Draco threw his head back and laughed. "_I_ repulse _you_? Please, if you're going to lie at least make it a convincing one. I heard the way you were moaning my name in your sleep before. You even dream about me, Granger."

He smirked at the shock on her face which quickly turned to embarrassment, and leaned his head in closer to hers so their noses were practically touching. He saw her eyelids lower slightly as she gazed at his mouth, and without realising it licked her lips. It was his turn to look at her lips hungrily, and he was suddenly aware of how close her body was to his.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he distanced himself slightly from her, still holding her arms to her sides to ensure she didn't undress any further.

"You've been drinking firewhiskey, no wonder you're crashing about the place. That's a big boy's drink, Granger. You're lucky you haven't been caught. I don't know why I'm not marching you down to Dumbledore's office right now…"

He got the reaction he was hoping for and he tried not to look smug as she sent him a pleading look. "Please don't Malfoy, please…"

"Hmm… now where have I heard that before?" he smiled slyly at her, inching towards her despite only just moving away seconds earlier. She tensed up when he leaned in to whisper into her ear, his breath tickling her neck giving her goose bumps.

Draco noticed these which only added to his satisfaction of the knowledge he was affecting her. "Granger?" he whispered in her ear.

She titled her head towards him, closing her eyes. "Yes?" she breathed.

"Go to bed."

He pushed her down onto the sofa and walked back to his room, slamming the door behind him.

**Oooooohhh!! Dun dun dunnnnnnn etc etc haha.**

**Reviiiewww ******** if ****you do review I should have the next chapter in a couple of days… but like I said, review first ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! How are you? ******** sorry for taking erm… six months to update but you know… Christmas is a busy time for all! Haha!**

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed, it motivated me to get my ass moving when I read through them yesterday, so I did this chappie. I don't know if it looks rushed or whatever, but it's something at least! It will have a plot eventually lmao.**

**And I noticed on my other chapters I put up it doesn't have a line separating the parts of the story if you get me :s weird, so I've tried using a different line thingy to make it less confusing… hmm..**

**Anyways!!**

**Enjoy ******

* * *

The small red haired girl felt tears sting her eyes as she leaned over the porcelain toilet, emptying her stomach's contents. The last time she'd been this ill was when she ate one of the Fred and George's experimental sweets by accident when she was younger. She hadn't stopped throwing up for the rest of the day, and in the end she had to be taken into the hospital. The twins got a severe punishment from Mrs Weasley, and they were forced to clean the mess that had been made without using magic.

She heard a soft knocking on the door and winced at the sound. Tentatively she lifted her head up and looked towards the pine door behind her.

"What?" she croaked weakly, not trusting herself to say anymore for fear of being ill again. If it was one of the girls needing to use the bathroom then they'd have to wait. She was going to be in there for a while yet.

"Gin? Are you okay in there?" Harry's concerned voice sounded far too loud to her, but she smiled despite her nausea. He was so sweet in little ways that only she noticed. It was as if he reserved it all for her. Sometimes she wondered how she coped without him all those years, but at the same time she valued the friendship they had shared and that he had always been there for her.

"Gin? Hello? What's wrong?" Harry knocked again when he didn't hear a reply. He began to think of anything that could have happened to her overnight. What if someone had snuck into her room and hexed her? Different scenarios ran through his head, each more extreme than the last, and just when he was about to open the door with magic a very frail looking Ginny cracked open the door. He frowned when he saw what state she was in.

"Who did this to you?" he asked, worry making his mind race. Ginny laughed quietly but didn't open the door any further; the idea of Harry seeing her being ill made her blanch.

"Nothing, I… I just ate something that didn't agree with me last night, that's all," she lied hastily, silently praying that he would believe her. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be very pleased at the idea of her drinking, and she didn't want to have to explain where she got the firewhiskey from in the first place.

When Harry's frown didn't lift she tried feigning a smile again. "Don't worry, I'll be okay," she reassured. When Harry still didn't budge she fought the urge to roll her eyes, her instincts telling her to rush to the toilet again. The happy feeling she had felt earlier for his concern now turned into annoyance at his persistence. It wasn't as if she couldn't look after herself; he of all people should know that.

"Maybe you should go to Madame Pomfrey if you're not feeling well. Come on I'll take you now," Harry insisted, pushing the door open only to find Ginny resisting and trying to close it. "Ginny tell me what's wrong right now!"

"Leave me alone, Harry! I'm fine just feeling a bit sick, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself you know!" she snapped, and immediately regretted it at the look of hurt that flitted across Harry's features. She hated seeing him like that, but couldn't help but feel that it was his own fault for sticking his nose where it didn't belong. She sighed, knowing full well that she was being unreasonable, but was too stubborn to say anything.

Harry's face hardened. "Fine," he bit out. "I'll leave you alone then. Sorry for being concerned."

Ginny called out as he walked away, but stopped to run back to the toilet, heaving the previous night's drink up again. She couldn't help but feel sorry for herself, even though she fully deserved what was happening to her. The only thought that cheered her up was knowing that Hermione would be feeling just as ill as her. She laughed softly but was cut off by another urge to throw up. This was all her fault. Ginny swore there and then never to drink that much ever again.

She got up to wash her face and clean her teeth once she felt it was safe to move. Opening the bathroom door, she looked around, paranoid that someone had been waiting for her to re-appear holding the incriminating empty bottle of firewhiskey. She sighed with relief and crept to her dorm, clambering back into bed. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how she would have to apologise to Harry. He'd forgive her soon enough, she was sure of it.

* * *

The early morning sunshine shone brightly through the high arched windows, lighting the round stone room. Everything was still apart from the sleeping form of Hermione sprawled on the grey sofa, snoring lightly. Her nose twitched as she inhaled hair that had strayed from the straggly bun it was held in, and she re-adjusted her awkward sleeping position to a more comfortable one in her sleep. When the sunlight finally crept towards where she was lying, she frowned at the sudden brightness. Scowling, she blearily opened her eyes disgruntled at the dazzling disturbance that awoke her. Moaning, she rolled onto her side and tried to get back to sleep, but snapped her eyes open suddenly as the fuzzy memories of last night to flooded back to her. She sat up abruptly and looked at the floor, horrified at the sight of her clothes thrown haphazardly across the stone floor. She noted she was still dressed in her jeans and bra, the same state that Malfoy…

Her hand flew to her mouth.

She had tried to undress in front of Malfoy!

Hermione jumped up and grabbed her clothes, her cheeks burning red as she made a dash for her room and into safety. Thoughts were whirring through her head, which was groggy due to the previous night's events. She was going to kill Ginny when she next saw her! She couldn't believe that she had let herself even touch a drop of that foul liquid- Hermione had seen the effects it had on people plenty of times to know that it made them act stupidly and do things that they would regret. Which was exactly what she had done.

She cursed herself, her heart still pounding in her chest from the shame she was feeling. She needed a shower and a cool drink of water. Her tongue felt as if it were stuck to the roof of her mouth. Looking at the clock on her mahogany bedside table, she saw that it was seven in the morning and shuddered, thinking it was far too early for her to be up on a Saturday. Stepping out of the rest of her clothes, she wrapped a bath towel around her and made a quick dash to the shower room that she and Draco had to share. Hermione knew that he was never up at this time of the morning at the weekend, so she was confident in walking up to the door and opening it. Twisting the golden door knob, she frowned as she realised that it wouldn't open. Convinced it was due to her lack of strength because of the previous night's fire whiskey, she twisted the handle harder and threw her weight onto the door. It flew open and she fell into the spacious room with a loud squeak of surprise, slipping on the wet floor and landing on her elbow. Tears sprung to her eyes, and Hermione noted for the first time that morning how much her body was bruised and aching all over.

Swallowing a lump in the back of her throat, she rubbed her elbow and stood up with as much grace as she could muster, only to find a half naked Draco standing in front of her with an emerald towel slung loosely around his narrow hips. Hermione gasped and tore her eyes away from his glistening muscular chest, looking at the window to her left. The sight of his bare chest stirred something inside her that she had never felt before and sent pulse racing. She imagined what it would be like to trace her fingers slowly down his defined stomach following the droplets of water and…

Colour rose to her cheeks as her imagination ran away with her, but any thoughts she had stopped when she felt the intense hatred radiating from Draco's every pore. Despite this, she raised her chin and straightened her back, being careful not to her let her emotions or towel slip.

"I didn't realise you were up," Hermione said lamely after a few seconds of silence. She sensed him walking towards her and tensed up, but she refused to move. Hell would freeze over before she let him know that he was having any effect on her. As he stepped right in front of her, she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing which suddenly became ragged.

"Clearly. Unless you had some ulterior motive, Granger. Come to get a good eyeful while I'm in the shower?" he sneered down at her smaller form and was slightly disappointed when she didn't respond to his taunts. "Tut, tut, naughty mudblood. You should know better than that, though I don't blame you. I'd do the same thing in your situation…"

Hermione snapped her head towards him and gave him a fierce glare; her cheeks still flushed from when first saw him. That was all he was looking for. He smiled cockily knowing that he was right and slowly inched towards her, hungrily taking in the sight of her slender body, barely covered by her white fluffy towel. He knew exactly how his actions were affecting the girl in front of him, and he almost laughed when she began backing away from his advancing body.

Hermione used all her will to stop her eyes from widening when she felt her back touch the steamy bathroom wall, and mentally cursed herself for her mind being so clouded. Drawing up all her strength, she masked her discomfort.

"Shut up Malfoy. Don't flatter yourself by thinking I would even consider looking at you. Nothing changes the fact that you're an annoying, spoiled, ignorant, rude, malicious _bully_, that's used to getting what he wants," she snarled, secretly pleased at her retort.

The victory was short lived as Draco placed both his hands at either side of her so she couldn't get away from him. Hermione felt helpless- she didn't even have her wand.

"Malfoy, I'm warning you. Leave me alone or I'll-"

"You'll what? Get Potty and Weasel to teach me a lesson?" he mocked, feigning a frightened look. His grey eyes darkened as he looked into Hermione's deep brown eyes that glared back at him fiercely and he realised how close they were. Before he could stop himself he lifted one of his hands and traced his finger delicately along the soft skin of her neck. He smirked when he saw her close her eyes and shiver.

"Maybe it's time I taught you a lesson, Granger," he whispered, as entranced by the moment as she was.

He could see her lips reddening as her tongue flicked over them involuntarily. His eyes darted from her lips to her closed eyes and she tilted her neck to the side, encouraging his soft strokes. All the while his mind was racing with thoughts of what he could do to her in this submissive situation. He leaned in towards her, pushing his body roughly onto hers crushing her full breasts against his chest. Leaning down, he moved his face millimetres from hers, his breath fanning over her full, parted lips.

Hermione was rendered powerless as waves of pleasure flowed through her from Malfoy's small strokes. Any anger she was feeling melted away as her head clouded, leaving her feeling weak. His body felt hard and strong and she longed for something she didn't quite understand. A voice in the back of her mind was screaming for her to get away, that this was _Malfoy_ touching her, but her body's desire won the battle as she seemed incapable of moving.

She frowned when she felt him hesitate in front of her and opened her eyes. Suddenly the reality of what was happening hit her. This was _Malfoy_ for goodness' sake! Her mind sharpened and she growled, pushing his body away from her with all her might. This took him by surprise and he nearly fell backwards, but regained his balance at the last moment.

"What do you think you're _doing_ touching me you disgusting excuse for a wizard? How dare you!" Hermione was outraged at how weak she had been, but more so at Draco for starting it. He knew what he was doing; she knew full well what a womanizer he was.

"I'm the disgusting one? You should take look at yourself! I knew you were an impure, poor excuse for a witch but I didn't have you down as a desperate whore as well!" Malfoy stepped back, hatred etched onto his chiselled features. Reasons why he despised Granger came flooding back to him and he couldn't believe he touched her. He felt disgusted with himself- imagine what it would do to his reputation if anybody found out!

Hermione growled and balled her hands into fists. "How dare you say that? You were the one who took advantage! I swear if I had my wand with me right now I would hex you into oblivion!"

"Just get out of the bathroom mudblood. I need another shower after you putting your grubby hands on me!" He grabbed her arm and threw her out of the bathroom door. The last thing he saw before he slammed it was unruly brown hair and her blotchy, livid face.

After he was sure the door was locked, he leaned against the pristine white sink and looked into the mirror above it. What was wrong with him? Why did that just happen? He was a pureblood for Merlin's sake; he couldn't afford to be messing with the likes of Granger! What would his father say if he found out? Draco had a reputation for getting any girl he wanted, but maybe the mudblood was one step too far. He should just stick to his usual conquests, the type of girl that idolises him and wouldn't hesitate to drop their knickers for him. That covered most of Hogwarts' female population. But they were getting too boring. Too predictable. Too easy. He needed a real challenge, one that he could occupy his time with and test his mental skills, not just his physical ones.

He shook his head and twisted the bronze taps to run cold water. Splashing it onto his face, he assessed what had just happened. Maybe it wasn't that bad after all. He thought back to what Zabini had said to him in Slughorn's class. There must be a way he could use what had just happened to his advantage against Granger. He wanted to make her pay for rejecting him, humiliating him. How dare she? Did she not know who he was?

The problem was she did. All too well.

He would have to think his next move through carefully if he wanted to have his revenge. He couldn't help but remember how she looked this morning asleep on the sofa when he went to have his shower. So peaceful and care free, not like the usual Granger with a permanent scowl on her face whenever she looked at him. But, he thought, it wasn't as if he didn't deserve it. He was always making her life more difficult. She had a sharp tongue on her when she was provoked, and he loved every second of it. Smirking he pushed his blonde hair back from his face. Before he did anything else, he needed a girl to take out today's frustration on. He opened the bathroom door and made his way to his room, noting that Hermione was nowhere to be seen. He didn't mind, she had probably ran off to her silly friend's dorm to cry to her about how mean he'd been to her today. If his dorm was empty he could make as much noise as he wanted with today's wench.

* * *

Hermione stormed down the corridor towards the prefect's bathroom, seething about what had just happened to her. She was so pre-occupied that she didn't notice the small first year in her path until it was too late and he was bowled down to the floor. She paused, considering whether or not she should help him up. She decided not to, and instead threatened him with the deduction of house points for being too stupid to look where he was going. The small boy looked as though he was about to cry as she continued her path down the corridor. She was angry with herself more than anybody else for letting the slimy blonde ferret get to her. All she needed right now was a long soak. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a severe headache starting behind her eyes. Great, that was all she needed.

Hermione whispered the password to the portrait and clambered into the spacious enchanted bathroom, barely taking notice of the breathtaking portraits and outlandish items dotted around. Turning various taps, she adjusted the large tub to have different brightly coloured bubbles with relaxing scents to help her calm down. She winced as the headache was in full flow, and lowered herself gently into the water allowing the mixture of aromas to take their effect. She sighed blissfully and emptied her mind, lying back into the warm liquid. Hermione decided that Ginny is going to have hell to pay when she visits her later on.

She couldn't believe what had almost happened earlier. If she had let Malfoy carry on, goodness knows what he would have done. She was glad that she had managed to come to her senses quickly before anything serious occurred. Hermione frowned and analysed the situation. She had never felt like that before. Even when she was dating Krum, the most she had felt was mild excitement, and that was at the thought of having somebody and being normal like everybody else. Krum didn't make her pulse race like Malfoy did. He didn't make her light headed, hungry for something to happen, even if she didn't quite comprehend what it was. She felt ashamed, as if she'd betrayed every one of her principles. This was the boy who had deliberately done everything in his power to make her and her friend's lives hell. He had treated her like scum over the past seven years, and what does she do to make him pay? Practically let herself be putty in his hands! She was no better than any of the other common witches that he brought back to his room every night.

She groaned in shame, imagining the look on Harry and Ron's faces if they found out what she almost did. Somehow she felt like she had managed to betray them and herself at the same time. Hermione thought back to how his body felt against hers, and the strange sensation she had earlier returned, warmth flooding through her very being. This had to stop now. Nip it in the bud. She there was one way she could approach the problem she was having. This had to be dealt with quickly, efficiently and without any mess. She decided there and then to talk to Malfoy about it. Iron out any creases. Yes, that was it, she would talk to him and tell him what a malicious toe-rag he was, then warn him if he ever tried to touch her again then he will be walking funny for the next hundred years, as a wand up the arse tends to have adverse effects.

She giggled and sank her head under the water, watching bubbles of air escape from her lungs and float away only to burst at the surface, never to be seen again.

* * *

The Great Hall was gurgling with laughter and chatter as Ron and Harry walked over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione and Ginny were sitting, deep in conversation. Harry noted how Ginny was still looking pale and was moving the food on her plate around with her fork absentmindedly, clearly not in the mood for eating it. When the girls looked up, they noticed Harry and Ron and immediately looked guilty. Harry felt suspicious, wondering what had happened to make them so nervous, and more importantly, he noted that Hermione looked just as rough as Ginny.

The boys took their seats opposite their two friends and studied them before saying hello. Hermione smiled weakly.

"So what have you got planned for the rest of the day?" Hermione asked innocently, glancing between the dark haired and the red haired boys. Harry seemed to be scowling and shrugged his shoulders, not looking up from the food he was helping himself to. Hermione cast a nervous glace at Ginny, and she was given the same look in return. Ginny cleared her throat.

"You okay Harry?" she tried to catch his eye but he was still looking down at his plate stubbornly. "Harry?"

He snapped his head up. "What?"

Hermione and Ron were shocked at his snappy retort, looking at each other across the table with widened eyes. It was probably a good idea if they started their own conversation and left the couple to talk with a small amount of privacy, but judging by the look her and Ron were sharing, this was the last thing on their minds. Hermione subtly titled her head towards them, listening in to the heated whispers.

"What's your problem? I said I was sorry for this morning, if it wasn't for you being so overprotective-"

"Overprotective? Correct me if I'm wrong but throwing up isn't exactly normal behaviour, all I did was suggest that you should go to the hospital wing-"

"You didn't suggest you practically _demanded_-"

"You're making me sound like a monster! All I was doing was caring, should I apologise for that? How would you feel if I had a problem that I didn't share with you? Pretty insignificant don't you think?"

Ginny lowered her head, not bothering to reply. He was right.

Ron raised his eyebrow at Hermione, almost disappointed at how the argument ended. He was expecting more of a scene from his sister at least. It seemed that she had matured a lot since she'd left the Burrow in the summer. He was pleased that her and Harry were seeing each other at last, but he was still protective over his younger sibling. Having the two being loved up in front of him every day made him feel a pang of jealousy. He didn't have anybody to share that with. Ron looked over at Hermione again who was engrossed in her lunch, and watched as she delicately placed the strand of hair behind her ear which always fell back to its original place almost immediately, framing her face perfectly. She was a strong, intelligent and brave young woman with everything ahead of her. He sighed. She wouldn't even look at him twice. This didn't bother him as much as it used to, and he ignored his usual childish instincts to ignore her and cause arguments for no reason. He had tried that in the past and it had gotten him nowhere. No, he was better off being friends and letting her realise that they were the ideal couple in her own time.

Just then Hermione looked up over his shoulder, her soft features hardening at what she saw. Ron turned his head and spotted Malfoy leaving the hall with his arm wrapped around the waist of a small brunette in the sixth year. He shook his head, shaggy red hair falling into his eyes.

"How a creep like him gets any girl to touch him I'll never know," he mused, chewing on a thick piece of steak and swallowing it loudly before stuffing his mouth with another forkful of food.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Daddy's money probably helps a lot Ron, and don't talk with your mouth full." She cut him off as he opened his mouth to interject with what he thought of 'Daddy's money'. Ron snapped his mouth shut and carried on chewing.

"Great, that's _another_ night I have to cast a silencing charm! Doesn't he realise I need my sleep? How else am I meant to concentrate in class and do my work? That stupid idiotic-"

"Don't let it get to you 'Mione. Like you said, a simple charm and you won't realise that the idiot's even alive," Ron reassured as well as he could manage through mouthfuls of his lunch.

She sighed. The she knew that was true. She didn't know why she was so aggravated by his antics, or even surprised at what he was doing. It just proved to her that he would pounce on anything with a pulse, without thinking of the consequences. She felt even more disgusted with what had happened in the morning, and vowed never to look at his creepy face ever again. Well, not on purpose anyway.

"Urgh, please you two! How many times do people have to tell you? Get a room!" Ron nearly spat out his food in repulsion as he saw Harry and Ginny leaning over kissing each other happily. Hermione sighed, feeling slightly resentful that her friends had found somebody that they could trust and love. She quickly pushed that feeling aside, smiling at Ron's contorted face, his mouth twisted into a grimace. Yes, Harry and Ginny were certainly lucky.

* * *

**Oooohhh dear what might happen?! Nobody knowwws haha.**

**Hope you enjoyed, leave me a review and tell me what you think ******** it was a bit rushed but oh well, better than nothing (I hope!)**

**Again, sorry about the slow update, it will be quicker next time I promise! Especially if I get reviews, hint hint lmao.**

**Oil Pastel xoxox**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello all, sorry for another slow update! Here's the next chapter, enjoy :)**

Chapter Four

* * *

Hermione spent the next few weeks avoiding Malfoy, and whenever they did run into each other in the head's common room no words or looks were exchanged. For her, this was hell. She hated the feeling of sneaking around a place where she was supposed to be able to relax. She began to spend most of her time in the library, only going back to the dorms to sleep and get showered. The fact she was permanently uncomfortable when she was in her common room began to take its toll on her. Beginning to feel ridiculous for scampering away whenever she saw Malfoy, she contemplated how she could fix the situation through using logic. She started to wonder why she was so wary of him, and after hours of deliberation in the library came to the conclusion that she was afraid. Afraid that he was the only one who could break down all her barriers and expose her for the coward she felt she was deep inside. Afraid that he could pin point every complex and anxiety she had to use it against her. Afraid that he would know the effect he had on her whenever he shouldered past her maliciously after lessons, and that he was the only person she experienced it with.

The latter had her believe that she was going crazy; weeks of avoiding someone would probably have that affect on anybody. The brain works in mysterious ways she concluded, and continued her routine of avoidance, brushing her emotions aside.

Her friends had noted a change in the way she was acting, she seemed more withdrawn, always absorbed in her own thoughts. To anybody else this would have seemed normal, but those who were close to her knew something was wrong. When Harry tried to discuss this with Ron, he grunted and said when she was ready to talk about it, she would. Harry supposed his friend was right, but still confided his concerns to Ginny.

"Yeah, I have noticed. The problem with Hermione is likes to deal with obstacles by herself, then confides with people once she's found the solution," Ginny concluded. Harry was reluctant to accept the way Hermione handled things.

"I suppose you're right," he sighed, defeated. Ginny saw this and frowned.

"I'll talk to her, try and find out what's bothering her. You know what she's like; it'll be exam nerves or something…"

"Or something," Harry repeated ominously, certain that something more serious than nerves that was the explanation for his friend's unusual behaviour.

* * *

A light tapping noise made Draco frown as he groggily lifted up his head to look at the source of the incessant sound. He growled to himself in irritation, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He put on a green robe to cover his state of undress and cracked open the round window, letting the excited owl fly into the bedroom. Draco reached over to where the tawny owl was perched, wondering who the letter was from as his family owl was far more magnificent. Nevertheless, he gave the bird a small treat and it flew off, clearly not waiting for a reply.

As he went to open the parchment he noted that it was seal with the headmaster's stamp, and thoughts ran through his head as he wondered what Dumbledore would want to write to him about.

_Dear Draco,_

_I am writing to summon yours and Hermione's presence this afternoon at my office for a brief meeting. All will be explained then. Please inform the Head Girl that you should both be there at one o'clock. I trust you will be free, as it is a Saturday and you have no lessons. The password is liquorish allsorts. _

_Professor Dumbledore_

Upon reading the headmaster's loopy writing, Draco groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. The last thing he needed was to have to talk to that know-it-all, self-righteous pain in the backside. Trust the barmy old man not to send her a letter. The whole thing was suspicious, and Draco knew better than to assume that not sending two owls was down to something as simple as convenience for the old wizard.

He'd done rather well in evading Hermione recently, and Draco wasn't prepared for his luck to run out so soon. He could tell she had been avoiding him like the plague, but he didn't mind. It made things easier for him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, accepting that it was time to face the music.

For nearly a month he had noticed that Hermione usually left the dorm early in the morning, clearly assuming that Draco wouldn't be awake. Not that he cared what she did with her time; as far as he was concerned she didn't exist. Still, he couldn't resist winding her up in class, doing little things to annoy her that would go unnoticed by the rest of the pupils. He didn't know why, but he loved the adrenaline of pushing her, almost eager to see what provoked her so he could do it again. He had never thought about why he did it, being content with the notion of old habits died hard.

He decided that if he wanted to inform her of Dumbledore's request it would have to be now, as it was nearly time for her to leave. Not bothering to get dressed, he left his room wearing only his robe and strolled to the other opposite side of the common room. Half way across the room, his steps slowed as something built up in the pit of his stomach the closer he got to the large mahogany door. It was excitement. The blonde smirked, knowing he was going to enjoy the little interaction he was going to have with his co-head that he loved to hate. Confidently, he lifted up his hand and knocked three times.

Draco could hear movements from inside the room, and waited patiently for his victim to come out. He knew she would. Even if she was thinking about ignoring his knocks he wagered that eventually curiosity would consume her and she would open the door. Suddenly the door swung open, which caught him off guard. He was prepared, however, for the deathly glare that Hermione was giving him.

He sneered, his composure automatically changing like it always did when he saw her. "I would say good morning, but it clearly isn't for you judging by your appearance."

Hermione glowered. "Well if it's so offensive then don't judge my appearance, Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

"Don't flatter yourself Granger; I'm not here for niceties. Dumbledore has just sent me this," he offered the letter to Hermione; careful not to brush her hand with his when she took it.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as they moved across the parchment with frightening speed. Draco rolled his eyes, wondering why he was still standing at her door. Apparently she was thinking the same thing, and she looked at him curiously once she had finished reading.

"Anything else? Or are you just waiting to insult me again for old time's sake?" she smiled sarcastically, her voice brittle.

"Gosh, you're making me sound so predictable," he drawled and arched an eyebrow as he leaned against the doorframe languidly.

Hermione frowned. Why wasn't he leaving? He had to be doing this to wind her up, and it was working. Malfoy was one of the most frustrating and confusing people she had ever had the misfortune to come across. He seemed to revel in other people's misery. This was the exact reason why she had been avoiding him all this time; he was a pathetic, irritating, malicious… handsome-

Hermione had to stop her hand from flying to her mouth when that thought came into her head. What had made her think that? She must be seriously stressed out if her mind was playing such hideous trick on her.

"Granger, straighten your face. You look like you've just swallowed a Quaffle- it's very unbecoming."

She ground her teeth, her nails digging into the door she was holding open. "Yes, well, better that than walking around as though I've had a Quaffle shoved up my-"

"On second thoughts, keep your face like that. It's the nearest thing to an improvement I'll ever see on _you_." Malfoy didn't know why he was carrying on; it was as if something had possessed him. He smirked when he got the reaction he was after, he could see her knuckles whitening as her grip tightened on the door.

"I'm trying to figure out why you're still standing here despite the fact your presence clearly isn't welcome. The only things I can think of is that you're so sad that this is the only entertainment you get, or that you have some twisted, unhealthy _obsession_ with me-"

Draco's mind was racing. "You know how the saying goes, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. I'm merely curious as to the fact that you've been avoiding me for nearly a month. Do I really have that much of an affect on you?" he stepped closer to her and was satisfied when she proved his point by flinching slightly and backing away. "Do I make your pulse race, Granger? Feel things you're not sure of? Because if I do I'd be more than willing-"

She forced a laugh. "The only thing you make me feel, Malfoy, is nausea. Go away or I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life regretting not leaving me alone right now," she warned, glowering as she reached for her wand.

Draco shrugged, confident that there was something she wasn't telling him. He would find out eventually, he always did have good intuition when it came to girls wanting him. He'd seen all the signs before, and he didn't blame her for hiding them. If he was in her situation, he'd be ashamed of being so unworthy.

"Whatever Mudblood, don't get your knickers in a twist. We wouldn't want Potty and Weasel spending all day trying to unravel them now, would we?"

He turned and ambled back over to his room, feeling Hermione's eyes burning into his back. Merlin, he had missed winding her up.

* * *

Hermione panted as she ran through the corridor, trying to avoid knocking people over whilst checking her watch. She cursed under her breath at the fact she was meant to be in Dumbledore's office five minutes ago. Being late was something she never did, and the bushy haired girl silently blamed Ginny for keeping her talking in the Great Hall.

As she turned a corner she saw two gargoyles guarding the entrance to the headmaster's door. They moved aside when she spoke the password and she made her way hastily up the spiral stairs, knocking on the door before pushing it open. A blonde head turned to look in her direction, and she tried her best not to meet those cold, grey eyes.

"Sorry I'm late Professor," she gasped, trying to think of a plausible excuse that would justify her late arrival.

Dumbledore leaned his elbows on the table and peered at her over his half-moon spectacles. Hermione had an uneasy feeling that he could see what she was thinking when she looked into his sparkling blue eyes that intelligence she could only dream of having. She understood what Harry meant when he had said how Dumbledore had powers that left you feeling awed.

"That is quite alright Miss Granger. Why don't you take a seat?" he said kindly, gesturing at the empty chintz chair next to Draco's.

Hermione nodded, ignoring the uncomfortable knot in the stomach that always came when she was near Malfoy. Dumbledore smiled at the two students sitting next to each other.

"Now I'm sure you're both wondering why I summoned you here today," he said.

Hermione nodded, and out the corner of her eye saw that Draco inclining his head slightly as an indication of his agreement.

Dumbledore clasped his hands together, his magnificent maroon robe catching in the cold winter's sunshine falling through the window behind the desk. "It has come to my attention that there has been a bit of… ah, tension between the two of you."

Hermione flushed deeply, looking down at her hands folded in her lap. She didn't dare look up in case the astute headmaster knew that it was her that had been avoiding Malfoy all this time. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Had Malfoy ran off to Dumbledore complaining that she was trying to get away from him? She wouldn't put it past him to do something so petty.

"Some of the professors have been telling me that you have been neglecting to do certain duties that are required to be carried out together. Can either of you tell me as to why this is?" he implored, still looking at them both.

Hermione lifted her head up, feeling ashamed for disregarding her responsibilities. She heard Malfoy speak just as she began to protest.

"Professor, I-"

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence them both and they fell quiet instantly.

"I must remind you that you have been chosen as Head Boy and Girl over many other pupils. There are reasons why you two in particular have been paired. These, alas, I cannot reveal. I must insist, however, that whatever problems you may have had in the past remain in the past. You two are supposed to set a good example of how two very different houses can work side by side. Younger students look up to you, don't misguide them."

Dumbledore finished speaking, still studying the two students sat before him. Hermione didn't dare look him in the eye again. Guilt flooded through her.

"Professor, I'm so sorry. I promise to try and work harder to set a better example," she said quietly.

The grey haired man smiled gently. "I have no doubt that you will Miss Granger."

Draco remained silent for a moment, and Hermione could see his jaw clenching. "Yes sir, I will make sure this doesn't happen again."

Hermione noted that Malfoy probably meant that he didn't want to be caught again; she knew full well that he wouldn't dream of attempting to be nice to her.

"Excellent," the professor said. "Now, I think I have a little challenge for you both. Christmas is coming up and I think it would be a _delightful_ idea if you two could organise a party for the rest of the school. With help from our able prefects, of course."

Hermione's face paled slightly. She only had four week to plan!

"You two will hold a meeting at least once a week with prefects in your dormitory. In addition, you will also have to ensure that you patrol the corridors together three evenings a week. I trust you can manage this perfectly so that your school work doesn't suffer."

Hermione was sure she could see a mischievous sparkle in the head teacher's eyes. With determination, she shrugged off the feeling of dread she was having about the plan, until she looked over at the tall blonde male sitting to her left. He met her gaze and she instantly regretted her curiosity. His grey eyes held such loathing for her she almost winced. Immediately she broke eye contact with him.

"I think that will do for today," Dumbledore concluded. Malfoy and Hermione nodded, rising from their comfortable chairs. He purposefully brushed past Hermione in a bid to get out of the office first, and she let him. Casting an unsure glace towards the headmaster, she cleared her throat when Draco had gone down the spiral staircase.

"Umm, sir? Could I please ask you something?"

Dumbledore studied her for a moment before nodding. She sat back down.

"I… I was just thinking, are you sure you think I'm the right person to be Head Girl?" before she knew it she felt tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. All the doubts she had been feeling about her role surfacing, even fears she didn't know she had. What if they had made a mistake and she couldn't cope? What if they decided that she wasn't good enough because Malfoy was so awful that she couldn't be civil to him? She couldn't endure the shame that would come if Dumbledore was disappointed in her and stripped her of her title.

The wizened man leaned forwards on his desk and flicked his wand, conjuring a box of scented tissues. She gave a watery smile when he offered her one, still trying to control herself.

"T-thank you p-professor," this was the first chance she was able to talk to somebody about how awful she had been feeling over the past few months. "I just f-feel like I'm the w-worst Head Girl in the history of Hogwarts," she finally confided, shaking slightly.

Dumbledore sighed. "You should know through reading 'Hogwarts a History' that the worst Head Girl was Gertrude Goldwater. She tried to blow up one of the houses' common rooms when a rather unfortunate Ravenclaw boy declined her offer to go to the Halloween festivities with her."

Hermione laughed weakly and wiped her face with the pink tissue, which slowly began to change colour.

"I've just felt so down. Malfoy and I… well, let's just say we don't see eye to eye. I've tried to understand why he hates me but I can't. Why did you choose me and him? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake and… and…" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Firstly, you made the wrong assumption that _I_ chose you. My dear, I certainly did not."

Hermione's face froze, shocked at the professor's declaration. Even he didn't want her as Head Girl. Her stomach dropped even further and she felt lower than ever before. The silver haired man must have sensed this.

"But I couldn't have made a better choice myself. I'll tell you a little known fact of how you were picked," Hermione heard one of the portraits to the right of Dumbledore sneeze loudly. "What has the biggest influence in your time at Hogwarts?"

Hermione frowned for a moment, wondering where he was going with this conversation. "The teachers of course," she said confidently.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, you're perfectly right; they teach you all the essential skills you need to move on in the wizarding world. But what has seen the mind of every pupil to help determine their future?"

Hermione looked to the corner of the room where a battered looking hat sat on a shelf. Dumbledore followed her gaze and nodded.

"Precisely. The Sorting Hat. That alone has seen into the heart and soul of every pupil here for hundreds of centuries. For reasons it does not reveal, the hat decides on your very first day of school whether or not you could be a leader. Then it chooses the two ideal candidates. To this day it has never been wrong, and I trust its judgement dearly."

Hermione tried not to think about Gertrude, but did feel slightly comforted by the teacher's trust in the Sorting Hat. Maybe it was up to her and Malfoy to heal the rift between the two houses. She remained silent for a moment, contemplating what Dumbledore had just told her. She was pulled out of her reverie by a soft musical cry from the scarlet and gold phoenix perched majestically to the right of its owner.

"Thank you, sir," she said, standing up.

"You're very welcome Miss Granger," the professor replied kindly. "And never forget, everything happens for a reason."

Hermione understood herself to be dismissed and she exited the round office filled with outlandish items. Her curly hair bounced as she practically ran down the spiral staircase, information whirling around her head. So her and Malfoy were always destined to live their last year at Hogwarts together? The thought seemed to alien to her; how could two opposites even coincide without killing each other by the end of the year?

She was still deep in thought when she turned the corner to walk down the corridor that lead to her dormitory. Busy in trying to plan a way to have a conversation with Malfoy without it ending in an argument, Hermione barely noticed that she was standing outside the portrait leading to her room until she heard the unicorn paw the ground impatiently. She muttered the password and looked down at the tissue still clutched in her hand, remembering the last thing Dumbledore had said to her.

She didn't notice the impatient, tall white-blonde male that stood in front of her until it was too late.

She let out a strangled cry as she collided with Malfoy for the second time that year, and looked up fearfully. He stood with his arms folded, seething with anger. Hermione hated how he was so much taller than her, how he made her feel vulnerable with just one look. Before she could stop herself, she met his cold gaze. Any resolve she had for sorting out their past feuds melted.

"Sorry I didn't see-" Hermione began apologetically, only to find herself interrupted.

"Run off to Dumbledore then? Cry to him like a big baby about how the nasty Slytherin was saying mean things? I must say I didn't even expect the likes of you to stoop low enough and tell a teacher. Feel good, Granger?" Malfoy sneered, looking down at her.

Brown eyes widened in surprise. "What, you think I _snitched_ on you? Sometimes you're so self-centred I'm amazed you realise that other people exist in the world! Why would you think that your pathetic insults would bother me in the slightest? Did you not stop to think that maybe you insulting me in every class we have together in front of the professors might have raised suspicions that we aren't getting along nicely?"

For a moment the two glared at each other, refusing to say anything, both looking fit to burst. Hermione felt a lump at the back of her throat as tears threatened to sting her eyes. She refused to let it happen. Not in front of him.

A tapping on the window broke their gaze and Hermione leaned to the left to see a small tawny owl pecking frantically at the window. Draco twisted around and groaned.

"Not that twittering thing again!"

He stormed over to the high arched window angrily, leaving a confused Hermione in his wake. She watched as the he let the owl in, moving aside to let it fly in and drop a roll of parchment on the table in the middle of the room. When it left, they both stared at the letter, neither wanting to go near it.

After a moment Hermione stepped forward first, walking to the letter and picking it up. Draco watched as she unrolled it and began scanning it rapidly. After a few moments' silence, he couldn't take anymore.

"What does the damn thing say, Granger?" he spat out, shooting her distained look.

Her shoulders slumped slightly, clearly showing she was unhappy with its contents. "It's our rota for our shared patrols," she sighed and threw the paper back onto the table, dropping into the large sofa next to it. "Our first shift is tonight."

Draco rolled his eyes. "The old loony couldn't have waited, could he?"

Hermione suppressed a small smile. "He's not a loony; he's the greatest wizard of our time. He obviously thinks the sooner the better."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence for a while, reflecting on what had just happened. Draco stood still by the window, looking at the back of Hermione's curly brown hair. It was the only part of her that could be seen from behind the sofa, some parts of it splaying wildly. He couldn't help but think that whenever she wore her hair down, it looked like she'd just had wild sex.

He smirked.

_Of course she'__s never had wild sex in her life_, he thought, scoffing. He wondered if she'd ever had sex at all. All she had was the two Golden Boys trailing her around like lost puppies all day, along with Weasel's little sister. He doubted that they'd let her anywhere near somebody who could give her a night to remember. He vaguely recalled the rumour of her having something to do with the ape boy known as Krum, but he doubted that lasted long.

_Now _I _could show her how it's done…_ he suppressed the urge to ask her if she was a virgin. No, that was something he would have to find out for himself. For now he would ease off on in insults, see if Dumbledore's point could get him any closer to the witch that had earned his curiosity, and deep down, respect. He was well aware that Hermione was the brightest person in the year; beating him in every test, knowing the answer to any question the professors asked. He initially began to take notice of her when he found out she was going to be his co-head. He remembered the look of horror on her face as she slid the Head's compartment door open on the Hogwarts Express and saw him sitting there. He couldn't help but observe how different she looked in her muggle clothes; jeans and t-shirt that showed how much she had developed into a young woman, growing into her looks.

He would rather die than let her know that deep down, he didn't hate her _that_ much.

But still, who was he to deny his favourite pass time? He would have to find a new way to torture Granger in a less obvious way.

"What time do we have to start the rounds tonight?" he asked, sounding uninterested.

Hermione turned her head to look at him. "Ten o'clock tonight. Presumably we need to check that nobody's wandering around out of hours."

He made no indication that he had heard the answer to his question, and began twirling his wand between his fingers.

She sighed and decided that she may as well do something constructive with the rest of her day. This idea was discarded, and instead she left the room to look for her closest female companion, Ginny. Once she had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, she declared the password and clambered into the common room, instantly locating the bright, long red hair amongst the jovial crowd. She was chatting animatedly to Lavender Brown, who was laughing at Ginny throwing her arms about madly. Hermione smiled, approaching the two girls.

"Hello you two," she greeted. Lavender smiled, and excused herself saying that she had to meet somebody in the library.

Ginny sat with her friend in a quiet corner. "Are you okay?" It was a question she had wanted to ask for a while, and she had the feeling that she might answer it truthfully.

Hermione sighed. "Not really," she said, and then went on to explain everything that had happened over the past month, including today's unexpected meeting with Dumbledore. However, she left out what had happened in the shower with Malfoy that morning after they had been drinking. "He thought it was me that told Dumbledore we were always at each other's throats. I told him it wasn't bothering me."

Ginny thought for a moment, studying Hermione. Suddenly she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "But it is bothering you. I can't help but get the feeling that there's something you're not telling me."

Hermione was shocked at her friend's astute observation. How could she tell…?

"W-what do you mean? I've told you everything!"

Ginny snorted, shaking her head. "You don't fool me! I can tell when you're lying; you fidget with your hands."

Hermione's hands froze instantly. She wasn't aware she had been moving them at all. Ginny shook her head, sighing.

"You don't really, but you freezing like that proved my point exactly. What aren't you telling me?"

Hermione's shoulders slumped in resignation. Maybe if she told Ginny about her feelings towards Malfoy she would tell her that it was normal for a witch her age to experience a change towards the boy she was living with. Or she would scream in horror, reminding her that Malfoy was an inbred, evil git. She breathed in shakily.

"Okay, maybe there is. But you have to _promise_ not to tell anybody. Not even Harry."

Ginny nodded, her brown eyes astutely studying her friend's face. She waited patiently for her to continue.

"Well a few weeks ago after we had been drinking that fire whiskey…" Hermione took another deep breath, and to her amusement noticed that Ginny was looking around anxiously in case anybody had heard. "The morning after… me and Malfoy had a sort of… moment…"

Ginny resisted the urge to ask what kind of a moment they had, but she had the feeling that Hermione was dying to get it off her chest anyway. Her friend's body language was closed, and she was nervously studying her nails.

"We… we almost kissed."

Ginny had been prepared for anything. Except for that. _Kissed_? Hermione? Malfoy? Her mouth gaped open and she struggled to say anything as words failed her. _Her_ Hermione, and ferret boy? Mortal enemies? Slytherin and Gryffindor? They were supposed to hate each other! She thought that Malfoy was all about blood-status, surely Hermione wasn't his type? Her internal battle raged on as more questions ran through her head.

The moment Hermione looked over at her friend she regretted it. The look of shock on her freckled face said it all; it wasn't normal. She certainly did have a big problem on her hands. Should Hermione even continue? She shook her head and brown curls shook slightly at the movement.

"That's not the worst bit," she said, deciding that she couldn't stand the silence any longer. She took Ginny's small cry as a signal to continue. "I think… I think… I think I enjoyed it!" she rushed the last words, almost as if they would be poisonous to her if she kept them to herself. "I can't believe I did! After all those years of him trying to make my life hell, I'm stupid enough to fall for his advances! Well, almost, I pushed him away at the last minute of course," she added. The imaginary weight she had carried around of her shoulders lifted slightly.

Ginny made a noise in her throat, before coming to her senses and coughing. "You didn't… you _know_… let it go any further?"

Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head almost violently. "Of course not! We didn't even kiss!"

The red head nodded slowly, clearly mulling over what she had just heard. Hermione was still fidgeting nervously, panic building up.

Finally she couldn't take anymore. "_Please_ tell me I'm normal, Ginny, please!" she pleaded. "I feel like such a freak! One minute he makes me feel like the most insignificant thing on the planet and then the next he brushes past me and…" she trailed off, ashamed to admit that his body near hers had any affect on her whatsoever.

Ginny looked at her friend, almost laughing. The brown haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"Of course you're normal! Every witch our age goes through phases like this, you know, fancying people they shouldn't. Teachers… school enemies…" she raised her eyebrows, smiling slightly. "Plus, you're practically living together, it's normal for your feelings to shift. Maybe you feel this way because you're frustrated he won't be your friend."

Hermione looked at her friend in surprise. Yes, that was it! It was just confused emotions she was feeling, nothing more. Teenagers have that all the time- she should know that by now!

Ginny gasped unexpectedly. "Or, maybe he's put some kind of spell on you! Slipped something in your drink to make you feel that way," she nodded enthusiastically.

Hermione's face dropped. What a ridiculous notion, to match the perfectly ridiculous problem she had. She suddenly doubted the credibility of Ginny's first suggestion. "Maybe…" she muttered weakly, her shoulders bearing the same weight she had felt before her confession.

Ginny patted her knee sympathetically. "You know, even though he's been horrible to you, Dumbledore has to be right. There must be something between you two that could spark a friendship. He's not the type to waste his breath on words that are meaningless. You should just hold on and see what happens."

The idea of waiting to see what trick Malfoy had up his sleeve next made her nervous. Hermione pasted a smile onto her face and thanked her friend, the feeling of solitude setting in. This was something she had to deal with alone.

* * *

"You're late," a voice drawled from a dark corner to her right.

She jumped, nor expecting anybody to be there. Her brown eyebrows knitted together and she studied her watch, which indicated that the time was two minutes past ten. She sighed. Trust him to be so painstakingly meticulous about the time. Grinding her teeth, she turned to look towards where the voice came from.

He stepped out, the moonlight falling onto his pale features, giving him an ethereal appearance. Her breath caught in her throat. A strand of white blonde hair fell into his grey eyes, and she imagined pushing it back and intertwining her fingers in its luxurious softness. His black robes flowed down from his broad shoulders, concealing the toned body she knew he had. Her heart rate increased before she could calm herself down.

"I didn't have you down as the type to clock watch in dark corners, Malfoy. But then again, nothing about you surprises me," she feigned indifference and looked out of the window to her left. The night was cloudless; the full moon radiating its silver light over the empty grounds. Everything was still. She dared not breathe loudly in fear of ruining the tranquil night.

"I'm not; I just don't my time being wasted by know-it-all witches," she felt him take a step closer towards the window she was gazing out of. They remained silent for a moment, taking the school's landscape.

Malfoy broke the silence. "I haven't got all night to stand around doing nothing, Granger. The quicker we start the quicker I can get away from _you_."

Hermione glared at the sneering figure before her. "I'm glad to see that Dumbledore's meeting has achieved a positive change in you, Malfoy," she said, anger rising in her chest. Her heart was hammering for a different reason now.

He took another step towards her, closing the gap between them. She hated his arrogance. She hated his demeanour. She hated the way she had to crane her head up to meet his gaze because he was taller than her. And she despised the power he had over her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he whispered. She closed her eyes to break their gaze and she felt his head lower down to her ear to whisper, "Mudblood."

Her eyes flew open as she raised her hand to slap him, only to have him catch her wrist with apparent ease. She gasped as his grip tightened when she tried to wrench it out of his hand.

"Let me go!" she cried, struggling to free herself, the loathing she felt for him seething from her. This only amused him.

"Why should I do that? You wanted to play rough; you've got it rough," he grabbed her other wrist to stop her pounding her other fist against his arm in a plea to free herself and wrenched her closer to him. He noted the fear in her brown eyes and smirked with deep satisfaction.

"Malfoy _please_ let me go," she said, looking at his chest in what he guessed was shame. Good. She should feel ashamed for even daring to touch him.

He stood still for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should let her go. He felt her struggling against his body, inadvertently brushing her soft curves up against him. He growled, the sensation making his head feel light. Suddenly he pushed her body away from his, sneering at her with disgust.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we? I have matters to attend to after this," he walked ahead of her, his winter cloak billowing behind him.

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**Hmmm, what will happen between the two during the rest of their rounds?? Only one way to find out!**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Cod evening laydeez and gentz. It's update time (later than planned as per usual).**

**Thank you to all who reviewed. Enjoy the next chappy, tell me what you think!**

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Chapter 5

She couldn't help but remain rooted to the spot, open-mouthed at what had just happened. Just who did Malfoy think he was? What made him think he could…_manhandle_ her in any way he saw fit? The nerve! She could tell that Dumbledore's words had meant nothing to him by the way he had just behaved. She saw the look of disgust on his face when he pushed her away from him as if she was some nastily contagious disease. It made her feel ashamed for the feelings she thought she had for him, ashamed for even confiding in Ginny about how confused he made her feel.

She balled her fists with new resolve, almost relishing the stinging sensation she felt from her nails digging into her palms. Her dark eyes narrowed as she began to catch up to her nemesis, walking between shadow and pools of moonlight as she passed the arched castle windows. She was meters away from him now, well within range to shoot a nice, gruesome hex at him. An uncharacteristic smirk crept across her face and she reached for her wand. Her hand froze, however, at the realisation of what she was doing. Attacking somebody while their back was turned? Truly a coward's way; and Hermione Granger was certainly not a coward. She began to wonder if being around the Slytherin was finally influencing her to become scheming and deceitful. She snorted. As if anybody would blame her for trying to kill him.

"Hurry up Granger, we haven't got all night," the silky voice abruptly threw her off her train of thought. "I've known slugs that travel faster than you."

The retort bubbled out of her mouth before she knew what she was doing. "Nice to know that you keep to your own kind then," she smiled sweetly at him when he spun around to glare at her.

"As much as I'd love to continue with this _banter_, we have a job to do," Malfoy said, refusing to rise to the bait. He noted Hermione's look of disbelief with satisfaction. Her wide eyes, parted lips, and her wild, chestnut hair that fell around her face made her appear so… Draco searched for the right word. Innocent…

Hermione shook her head as if to clear it, clearly caught off guard by what he had just said. He felt smug just to have shut her up for over ten seconds. She was clearly having an internal battle, probably deciding whether or not he was being serious. He didn't blame her of course; she should always be on guard around him. Any chink in her armour and he'd be the first to slip in there and…

_And what?_ A voice in his mind posed the question he had been thinking about over and over during the past couple months. What would he do once he had found her weakness? Make her pay for being such an infuriating little bitch? What distress would she feel from a few well calculated insults? She had taken plenty of verbal-abuse from him in the past and brushed it off, seeming unfazed by his attempts to upset her. Draco clenched his jaw, waiting for the flabbergasted witch in front of him to stop impersonating a goldfish.

Eventually she spoke. "Y- you're quite right Malfoy," Hermione straightened her posture and lifted her chin, as if waiting for him to defy her. She received a deadpan look from Malfoy, clearly sending her the message that her opinion meant very little to him. She continued with what she knew best; logic. "We should plan what order we're going to search the castle. I think we should start with the areas where the school houses are for tonight, and do other sections of the castle on a different night. So firstly we should look around the Gryffindor tower, because that's on the highest floor, and then continue down the castle with Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and finishing with…"

She didn't bother finishing the sentence, knowing full well it was a lost cause. Malfoy had stopped listening to her and was inspecting his nails with some interest, leaning his shoulder against the cold stone wall. He looked up after a few moments of silence.

"Oh, have you finished your ramblings now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She should have known that his mature outlook on the task was going to last a nanosecond. The Sorting Hat's credibility was definitely being questioned.

Draco stood up and turned to walk in the direction of the Gryffindor tower, once again leaving an astonished Hermione behind.

The next hour went by as smoothly as expected, considering whom she was dealing with. They had finished the first three houses without any sign of life, which came as a surprise considering it was the weekend. It seemed that the students were beginning to understand the importance of adhering to their curfew. Unlike Harry, Ron and she did in their earlier years. Hermione smiled to herself, her thoughts being her only salvation from the blonde monster prowling to the right of her.

The air was getting colder as they descended into the dark dungeons, and she could see her breath fogging before her whenever she breathed out. Shivering, she wrapped her black winter cloak around her tightly, rubbing her arms for warmth. She heard Malfoy mutter a spell, and balls of orange fire flew to the unlit torches on the wall, providing sufficient illumination for them both to see. He made a comment of her being too incompetent to walk around the dungeons in the dark without falling on her worthless arse. By now, Hermione was used to his sly comments and just nodded absentmindedly. She continued to do this when Malfoy began to point out the differences between them both; something to do with how he was far more superior to her for many reasons. Looks, money, important connections, wit, charm… Until then, she had been rolling her eyes and sighing, but the last comment made her snort.

"Charm? What do you know about that? You have about as much 'charm' as a rabid banshee on a bad day, Malfoy. Perhaps less."

Draco narrowed his silver eyes angrily. "That's because I only use it with people I _like_ Granger, and when you're around there you aren't worth me wasting my energy being nice to," he finished with a sneer.

Even from where she was standing, Hermione could he the hate flashing in his eyes. She shrugged off the feeling of unease by playing the memory of him being transfigured into a ferret in their fourth year in her mind. A ghost of a smile traced her lips.

"Good, because the sort of, and I use this word loosely here Malfoy, _people_ that you're civil with aren't the kind I want to be near," she lifted up her hand and began using her fingers to count as she listed examples conversationally. "You know, narrow minded pure-blood maniacs, Death Eaters-"

Hermione halted abruptly when Malfoy suddenly stood in her path, clenching his jaw and glaring heatedly. Swallowing, she noticed a muscle in his jaw twitch. She had only ever seen him this angry once before. Apprehension built somewhere in her stomach as seconds of silence seemed to drag. She could practically see thoughts in his mind whirring around, and flinched as he brought his left arm up. He sneered.

"Why did you flinch then Granger? Scared I was going to hit you?" he mocked, slowly rolling the black sleeve up of his cloak. Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Yes you were. You were terrified that the big bad Death Eater was going to hit you," he whispered, walking towards her menacingly.

She hated when he did this to her. Resorting to intimidation tactics to get as if to prove a point. She suddenly found the use of her voice. "I- I never said that you were-"

She winced as his hand collided with the rough wall behind her, missing her face by inches. She knew it was intentional.

"Listen closely, you filthy bitch, because I'm only going to say this once. Don't you ever insinuate that I have _anything_ to do with Voldemort's little group of lost sheep who can't think for themselves. My idea of a good time is not risking my precious arse following The Boy Who Unfortunately Lived around all the bloody time!"

Malfoy yanked his left sleeve up to show his pale forearm to an alarmed Hermione, taking some satisfaction in her shaken demeanour. A faded skull with a protruding snake tongue was still slightly visible on his arm, clearly showing his attempt of trying to erase the mark from his skin and his life. Dumbledore's words rang through his mind, and Draco's eyes darkened as he thought about what Hermione had just said. How dare she compare him to the likes of his father-

No. Now was not the time to be wallowing in the past. He was stronger than that. Straightening up his broad shoulders, he rolled down his sleeve; not taking his glare away from Hermione's shocked brown eyes in front of him. His breathing was suddenly heavy, and he didn't know why. Draco didn't give a shit about anything the stupid Mudblood had to say, so why did his composure slip so easily when she shot her mouth off about the company she thought he kept? Did he even blame her? With his dark past he doubted that most of the school trusted him. They were amazed that he was made Head Boy after his failed attempt of Dumbledore's life. It was common knowledge that Crabbe and Goyle had already succumbed to the Dark Lord's empty promises; did she really assume that he was also the type to still be swayed by the egomaniac that had ripped his life apart? A fresh wave of anger surged through his veins, almost blinding him.

Hermione was at a loss for words. Subtly, she began calculating whether or not she could make a run for it. The air between them was laced with a poisonous animosity that was consuming her thoughts. How could one person be filled with so much hate? The thought scared her.

The heavy silence was broken when they heard a shuffling noise in a classroom nearby. Both the student's heads turned towards the disturbance, one covertly relieved of the distraction, one overtly annoyed. Neither spoke. Both waited in silence expectantly. They heard no noise again, but this time with a muffled voice. Hermione noticed Draco frowning, clearly deliberating if he should check the room. She was surprised at her nervousness. Something wasn't quite right, and Malfoy's expression mirrored her thoughts. Maybe it was just because she had been in his presence for too long, but the feeling of uneasiness didn't lift when once again the corridor fell silent.

It was almost as if Malfoy read her mind when he murmured his next words. "You stay here and keep watch in the corridor. I'll check the room."

Hermione nodded, reaching for her wand in her pocket, watching him do the same. She noted that he must be feeling equally as apprehensive, as he wasn't charging into the classroom with an arrogant smirk at the fact he was about to reprimand a fellow pupil. Glancing at Hermione over his shoulder, Malfoy moved to the side of the door and opened it silently.

Nothing happened.

Hermione let out a breath of air that she didn't realise she was holding. Malfoy stepped in the room, lighting the end of his wand silently. She watched him disappear into the darkness and waited, calming herself by running through different defensive spells. After what seemed like an age, Malfoy stepped back out. She almost gasped at how pale he looked.

"Empty," he muttered.

Hermione nodded her head, still keeping her wand in her hand.

"Maybe we should finish now, I don't think we're going to find anything…" she trailed off, suddenly very interested in her feet. She sensed Malfoy shake his head.

"If you're too scared of the Slytherin's headquarters then fine, I'll finish up here and you can go back to the common room," he taunted.

"Oh, get stuffed Malfoy. I'm not too scared, just tired," she wasn't lying. As soon as she had finished speaking she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Just go. I'll finish here," Malfoy said. It was clearly an order and not a statement. She wasn't going to argue with him. A feeling of suspicion crept into her mind, but another yawn caused it to vanish. The only thing on her mind right then was her bed.

Without saying goodbye she turned on her heel and left. Hermione could practically feel a pair of grey eyes burning into her back.

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With a languid flick of his wand, professor Snape enchanted the piece of chalk to scrawl notes on the blackboard behind his desk whilst he continued to talk. The cold classroom was filled with the sounds of students diligently taking notes whilst he explained the workings of a complicated defensive spell. Ron sighed and lifted his head up, rubbing his sore neck. Gone were the days where a simple Shield Charm would do the trick. He looked longingly at his battered gold watch, as if willing time to speed up so the class would finish. Unfortunately he didn't possess any time changing powers, and grudgingly bent back down over his parchment to continue taking notes. To his left he saw Hermione's hand flying from left to right across her parchment whilst she was glancing up occasionally, seeming to drink in the words the hooked nose professor was speaking.

Ron rolled his eyes, and stole a glance to the small desk on his right where Harry was sitting. He was apparently paying very little attention to what Snape was saying, and doodling on his parchment absently. They would just have to lend Hermione's notes later on. Not that Harry needed any extra help of course; he was destined to pass Defence Against the Dark Arts with flying colours. In fact, if anybody needed to concentrate right now it was Ron.

"Weasley, is there any particular reason why you aren't taking notes?" Snape's cold voice startled Ron out of his reverie of winning the next Gryffindor Quidditch match against Ravenclaw.

"Umm…" Ron began to mumble, clumsily rushing to pick up his quill once more. In his haste his elbow knocked his black ink pot which spilt over his parchment, ruining the few notes he had bothered to take down. He shook his head, messy red hair falling into his eyes which were cast downward to avoid the cold, dark glare from his teacher.

"Or perhaps you feel you have learnt all there is to know about the Dark Arts through being friends with the Boy Who Lived."

A few of the Slytherins in the class laughed cruelly and Ron's ears turned pink whilst he silently glared at the empty glass pot, lying on its side almost mockingly. He was imagining jumping to his feet and firing numerous gruesome hexes to disfigure the loathsome professor. This made him feel marginally better. He could sense Harry tensing beside him, but Ron shook his head quickly to discourage any reaction, which Snape took as a reply.

"Good, now carry on with your work."

Hermione cast a worried glance in her friend's direction, and noticed that Malfoy had laughed the loudest at Ron's expense. She scowled at Malfoy's childish behaviour. Hermione had noticed that Ron's concentration had been slipping over the past few weeks and couldn't help but be concerned about his grades. Of course she would offer her notes if he ever asked for help, but she shouldn't have to. She pondered briefly over what could be distracting him lately, and came to the conclusion that she was probably better off not knowing. Who knew what went on in his mind? It probably had something to do with Quidditch anyway. Eventually the class ended and there was a flurry of movement from eager students trying to get out of the room. Hermione and Ron were one of the last to leave.

"I've been meaning to ask you, is the prefect's meeting about the Christmas ball on tonight?" Ron asked, holding a door open politely for his friend to walk through. Hermione nodded tried to hide her surprise at his polite gesture.

"Yes, tonight at seven in the Head's common room. Don't forget to remind Ginny as well," she added.

They entered the Great Hall and immediately spotted Harry's black messy hair in the middle of the Gryffindor table, who was sitting next to Ginny. Ron pulled a face at Hermione and she giggled, dragging him the sleeve of his robes to sit him opposite the couple. They didn't notice a pair of eyes watching them in distaste from the Slytherin table.

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"I don't think that idea is very suitable, Luna. Dwarves can't sing very well and would definitely spoil the festive mood," Hermione objected tactfully. The truth being that the idea of having the dwarves back in the school would bring up horrid memories of Valentine's Day in her second year. She glanced around at the nineteen other faces at the round table in the Head's common room. They looked equally uneasy about the idea suggested by the strange blonde, especially Ron, who was concealing his laughter by biting his knuckles.

Hermione heard Malfoy click his tongue impatiently next to her. The meeting was dragging on longer than he had hoped. She rolled her eyes. He had shown no interest whatsoever, his only contribution being the occasional cutting remark when somebody dared to suggest something he didn't agree with.

"Well I think that there should be some kind of theme to the Ball," Hannah Abbott put forward, and a few people nodded.

"Very clever, Abbott. How about _Christmas_ as a theme?" Draco snapped sarcastically, his tolerance wearing thin. Hannah frowned and folded her arms angrily. Pansy Parkinson laughed snidely.

"Okay I think everybody's getting tired now," Hermione interjected before an argument broke out. She flicked through her notes she had made of everybody's ideas. "I will read out suggestions people have made, and we will vote. Whichever one gets the most votes will obviously win. Now," she skimmed the notes in front of her. "All in favour of Lavender's notion of dress robes and gowns raise your hand."

Hermione counted sixteen people who liked the idea. Michael Corner sighed, clearly frustrated that his fancy dress idea was now out of the window. He glared at his fellow Ravenclaw prefects who had voted in favour of Lavender. They shrugged.

"And what about Romilda's carol singing fairies during the feast?"

Thirteen people lifted their hands, and Romilda grinned proudly. Hermione noted he result and glanced at the next suggestion.

"Theodore's idea of having a band play?"

Fifteen people approved, and Theo leaned back in his chair smirking. He winked at Hermione when she looked over, and she felt her cheeks flush. She quickly lowered her head again to hide her glowing face. Malfoy muttered something she didn't quite catch.

"I know there are plenty more thoughts we need to decide on, so I think this should be the last one for this meeting, and we'll continue with the rest another time," Hermione glanced at the Head Boy to her left, as if expecting him to have some sort of miraculous input in the meeting. She sighed. No such luck. "Okay so Pansy's idea of fourth year and below having a curfew of eleven o'clock…"

Everybody, including Draco (Hermione's mouth dropped slightly in shock when he voted) approved.

"Well that's it for tonight. We'll meet again on Thursday in here. Lavender, would you ask Seamus to start on those posters to put around the school for me?" Hermione asked. The dark haired girl smiled and nodded, and followed the milling students out of the room.

Draco rose from his seat and made a bee line for his room, clearly not intent on helping Hermione clear up after the meeting. Hermione's shoulders slumped and she looked over at Ron. They were the only people left in the deserted room. Paper was left haphazardly on the round mahogany table with the prefect's notes scrawled on them. Ron moved to stand by her, similarly surveying the room.

"Don't worry, I'll help you tidy," he said, throwing a friendly arm around her shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. Hermione's tired eyes looked up and studied Ron's features. She smiled. Ron felt as though his stomach was suddenly full of butterflies, and their proximity was the cause of it.

"Thanks," Hermione said, leaning into his embrace. Ron closed his eyes briefly, and tried not to frown when she pulled away and walked towards the table.

Ron shook his head to try and clear it; he didn't need to be thinking of his friend in that way right now. It was clear that his feelings were one sided; even Harry had advised him not to make any reckless decisions that would cause a strain between the three of them. Ron had agreed, grudgingly accepting that he should be happy with Hermione just being a close friend. However it was easier said than done.

Bringing his attention back to the task in hand, Ron began to help clearing up by picking up screwed up pieces of parchment off the floor. A small yelp from across the room caught his attention, and he rushed towards Hermione who was holding her finger cursing under her breath.

"What's wrong?" he asked, eyebrows knitted together in worry. He looked down at her and ignored the impulse to run his hand through her soft looking chestnut curls. She sighed in frustration.

"Nothing, it's just a paper cut…I'm being stupid."

Ron took her hand and examined the small cut on the pad of her index finger. He knew that getting paper cuts was definitely in his top ten of annoying things, which included Malfoy. She giggled when he voiced this, causing the butterflies to return to his stomach. He tried not to look too pleased with himself as he held her small hand and dabbed her finger with a tissue he had conjured. Hermione watched his slow, careful movements, noting how big his hands were compared to hers.

"I think you'll live," Ron whispered when he had finished, unsure why he had lost the full use of his voice.

Deep brown eyes met his and his heart began to beat wildly, his thoughts clouded at his proximity to the girl he had been in love with for what seemed like an age. He could practically count the small freckles that dusted her nose; her face tilted upwards, her pink full lips begging to be kissed. He swallowed, licking his lips as his eyes drank in every part of her features. Her eyebrows… her long, dark eyelashes… her soft skin that just had to be caressed. Any sensible thought in his mind was drowned by his desire for her. He raised his free hand and brushed his fingers along her smooth cheek, which flushed under his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed briefly at the contact, and she gazed searchingly back at him.

"Hermione…" he breathed.

Her pulse quickened at the sound of him speaking her name. She glanced down at her hand, his thumb stroking her palm lovingly, and met his eyes again, which had darkened with something she had never seen before: desire. She noticed how tall he was, how broad his shoulders were, how strong he looked. Ron had been her rock and her best friend for seven years and it had only just dawned on her that in this one small moment, their relationship had just transformed completely.

"Ron-"

Hermione was cut off by his lips crashing onto hers. She reacted in the only way she knew how; kissing him back with equal passion. His lips were soft, his kisses fervently expressing his long hidden desire for her. Never in Hermione's life had she felt so wanted. Ron bit her bottom lip, causing her to moan softly against him. She was vaguely aware of him pushing her back onto the hard table behind her, parting her legs to stand between them. He deepened the kiss and she gladly accepted, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth. He ran his hands down her back, back up to her shoulders until finally entwining them into her unruly hair. Hermione's hands travelled across his broad shoulders and down his muscular arms. Ron growled and with one hand lifted her leg around his waist, causing her grey school skirt to bunch around the top of her thighs, revealing more creamy smooth skin. His hand moved up her thigh, caressing every inch of her that he came into contact with. She moaned underneath him, arching her back and deepening their kiss even further.

The sound of a door slamming caused both of their eyes to fly open.

"Well, well, well. Don't let me interrupt the tramp and the whore getting friendly."

There was no mistaking the sneer in Malfoy's cold voice.

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